A wide range of fibre-based surgical implants are known in the art. To be tolerated by the organism an implant has to be biocompatible. Certain uses additionally benefit from the implant being made of or comprising biodegradable material. Fibres for use in biocompatible implants are, in particular, made from suitable synthetic polymers. The fibres of an implant can be disposed in form of an ordered pattern, such as in a woven or knitted textile material, or in a non-ordered pattern, such as in a non-woven textile material. Surgical implants comprising knitted materials are disclosed, for instance, in U.S. Pat. No. 6,093,205 A, EP 505 634 B1, and EP 1 351 630 B1.
For economic reasons a textile fabric for use in implants would benefit from being manufactured in a size allowing the production of multiple implants or implant elements from it. The implants or elements for use in implants would have to be cut out from the fabric. Depending on the production method and textile pattern of the fabric, the degrees of cutting freedom may be restricted by the risk of compromising the integrity of the products by the textile material unraveling or fraying at cut edges. The problem may be aggravated by movements of tissue disposed adjacent to an implant in situ. A common fixation mode for textile implants is by suture(s) penetrating the implant near its fringe(s). Tearing by the suture(s) on implant is an important cause of fraying and of such implants losing their attachment to the respective bone or soft tissue. Fraying of an implanted textile material may cause a malign biological response of host tissue by mechanically induced inflammation and/or particle synovitis. In consequence the implant might require explantation. To avoid the risk of fraying woven fabrics for implant applications should not be cut along the warp. One commercially available woven fabric implant comprised by this restriction is the Artelon® TMC Spacer (Nilsson et al., J Hand Surg, 2005; 30A(2) 380-9). Hence, the dimensions of a manufactured implant of this kind will have to be a compromise in view of the need to make an implant of given form and size fit as many patients as possible. Although a woven implant may be available in different sizes its case-by-case refined biometric and anatomic adaptation would be desirable. With a textile design that permits unrestricted cutting in the plane of the fabric a ready-made implant could be supplied with a shape better adapted to anatomical and biometric requirements. Even a final tailoring by the surgeon can be enabled during surgery. The need of adapting a ready-made implant to a patient is particularly pronounced if it is a part of an articular joint surface that needs treatment. In that case it is a definite benefit if the implant can be trimmed by the surgeon or assisting medical personnel. Fraying of a textile implant thus should be avoided by all means.